Utah County resident Becky Golly was 44 when she began her prison sentence in 2018 and hadn’t been in school for almost three decades. She left the Utah State Correctional Facility six years later with two associate degrees from Salt Lake Community College, multiple certificates from Davis Technical College and several classes from the University of Utah under her belt.
“I am doing really great,” Golly said as she smiled in reflection on the past six months since she was released in October.
SLCC has one of the largest in-person prison education programs in the nation, according to program director David Bokovoy. Davis operates certificate programs, and students in the women’s unit can now get bachelor’s degrees through the University of Utah. The state prison also has a high school program.
On May 12, SLCC’s third annual graduation ceremony will graduate 28 students. Over the past few years, 77 students have graduated, Bokovoy said, and more than 200 have participated in courses over the past year.
Golly is one of the many success stories of the educational programs.
Golly was sentenced to five years to life for aggravated robbery and burglary. She said it was the lowest point in her life because of what she had done and the pain she caused her family. Golly described her pre-prison self as a mom struggling with addiction and working two jobs that didn’t pay well.
“I was very broken,” she said.
Early in her sentence, two women encouraged her to get involved with the educational programs. Both had been incarcerated for several years, and Golly said they “knew how to do [prison] right.” Golly had set a goal to leave prison as the best version of herself. After that meeting, she believed more education could help get her there.
Still, Golly was scared and nervous to take classes 27 years after graduating from high school. She didn’t think she was smart enough and already felt down for being in prison.
But she started doing well with her classes and got good grades.
“I'm like, ‘Wait, I remember who you are. I remember you're smart. I remember you're capable.’ And when I apply myself, I know that I can do anything I set my mind to.”
That boosted her self-esteem and confidence. The classes also pushed her to build routines to spend her time productively. She also had a supportive group of teachers and classmates to keep her on track.
Golly received a business administration certificate from Davis Technical College first, and then an associate’s degree in general studies from SLCC. That led to a second associate’s in criminal justice and another certificate in information technology.
After her release, a company hired her to go into homes after a fire or flood to pack up the contents to be cleaned and restored. When Golly’s bosses learned about her education, they asked her to work in the office to do work with insurance adjusters or come up with bids.
Without her schooling in prison, Golly doesn’t think she would have received that job. Now, she not only has more skills but she knows what she’s worth.
“Before, I'd just take what I could get because I had no education to back it up.”
Golly said she gets paid more than her two pre-prison jobs combined, she has more opportunities to advance her career and can spend more time with her kids.
“I worked not only on my education, but spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, everything that I could so that when I left there, I walked out of there a better person in my heart and in my mind.”
Golly said leaving prison is difficult and people need a solid foundation to be successful. It’s why she’s grateful to have gotten an education that showed her what she was capable of.
Bokovoy echoed Golly’s sentiments. The schooling certainly helps students prepare to enter the workforce, but the programs are about more than that.
“It helps them become the best versions of themselves, and that transformation creates a better, safer society, both inside and outside the prison,” Bokovoy said.
Whether students are incarcerated for a year or more than a decade, the classes help students think critically and become more socially engaged. Bokovoy sees educational programs as a treatment program.
“Many individuals, of course, are incarcerated because of anti-social behaviors,” he said. “But through taking college courses, the students become more confident, but also, ultimately equanimous, which means calm or stable.”
